Police, mob clash in Kolkata, RAF comes into action

Activists of the All India Minority Forum clash with the police, which uses batons and teargas to disperse them.

Activists of the All India Minority Forum protesting the violence in Nandigram on Wednesday indulged in brickbatting, blocked roads and clashed with police, which used batons and teargas to disperse the protesters.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Jawed Shamim was injured when the police tried to lift the blockade on the arterial AJC Bose Road.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel swung into action after the police failed to control the mob, hundreds of whom pelted stones and empty glass bottles from lanes and bylanes.

After a lathicharge failed to bring order on the streets, teargas shells were lobbed at the agitators, police said. The situation was still tense but stated to be under control, they added. However, there were major traffic snarls in the southern and central areas of the city during the morning rush hour.

The All India Minority Forum and Furfurasharif Muzadeddia Anath Foundation, which called for 'paralysing' the state for three hours from 9.00 am on Wednesday, resorted to road blocks in some other districts including Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

State IGP (law and order) Raj Kanojia said that most of the blockades have been lifted without using any force, but two in neighbouring Howrah district were still on. Train services were not affected anywhere in the state due to the agitation, Kanojia added.

Forum president Idris Ali claimed that outsiders infiltrated among the ranks and unleashed violence. Ali said the blockade was also called demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and cancellation of the visa of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

He claimed that Nasreen had made comments about Islam which were blasphemous and sought immediate deportation of the writer.